A tournament that was David Toms’ to lose was lost on Sunday, when Tom Lehman erased a four-stroke deficit and won the PGA Tour Champions’ season opener, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, by a stroke on the final hole.

Lehman, 59, caught Toms with three birdies in a four-hole stretch, 13 through 16 at Hualalai Golf Club, then won when Toms three-putted the 18th green by missing a six-footer for par to send it to a playoff.

“I feel very badly for him to finish with a three-putt when he played so well,” Lehman said. “He played great golf. But I didn’t make any mistakes. I played two bogey-free rounds to finish the tournament.

“Four shots behind, you need to get some help. David only made a couple of mistakes. He played really well today. But I played about as well as I could play and got very fortunate.”

Toms, the reigning U.S. Senior Open champion, opened the tournament with a pair of 65s that gave him a four-shot lead entering the final round. But he opened with a bogey and closed with a bogey, allowing Lehman to secure a victory in a tournament in which he has finished second twice.

“To finally get this win is so gratifying,” Lehman said. “I love this trophy. This trophy is so cool. I can’t wait to give it to my kid. I’ve played well here in the past, so it’s great to finally get this win. To beat this field is very significant.”

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